On Newt

Balloon Juice » Grifters attract grifters…: "That was over 25 years ago and Mr. Carter was correct—Newt Gingrich was a danger to America. He still is. How this self-absorbed nihilist has been a political survivor all these years is amazing. Gingrich is a top shelf Grifter—always has been and always will be. He survives by playing the gullible as easy marks. The Mother Jones article showed that Newt was focused on the gullible way back them:"

PZ Meyers undresses Deepak Chopra

Chopra challenges eloquence with pretentious gobbledygook : Pharyngula: "This was a tough one to address thoroughly, because every sentence, practically every phrase in Chopra's essay is foolish and wrong, so I've instead taken the path of annotating the central chunk of Chopra's chunder. My comments are in red; Chopra's are in Comic Sans, of course."

Let's default on that debt - Paul Ryan Edition

Eschaton: The Voices In His Head: "Holders of US government debt would be willing to miss payments 'for a day or two or three or four' if it put the US in a stronger position to pay them later on, Rep. Paul Ryan told CNBC Tuesday."

Mean Spirited Assholes - Scott Walker Edition

Daily Kos: Walker moves to ban hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples: "Gov. Scott Walker believes a new law that gives gay couples hospital visitation rights violates the state constitution and has asked a judge to allow the state to stop defending it."

So Long Thrashers?

CBCSports.ca | Elliotte Friedman | Thrashers' rollercoaster ride hurtling toward Winnipeg?: "Last year, the Phoenix Coyotes were about two days from moving to Winnipeg. Now, according to several sources, Commissioner Gary Bettman has -- for the first time -- given True North permission to close a deal with Atlanta Spirit, the owners of the Thrashers. (Bettman made this move with the approval of the NHL's Executive Committee, meaning the league's most powerful owners agreed with the decision.)"

Things that amuse me - Climate Change Deniers edition

Climate study gets pulled after charges of plagiarism - USATODAY.com: "Evidence of plagiarism and complaints about the peer-review process have led a statistics journal to retract a federally funded study that condemned scientific support for global warming."

Not Fleeing

Via the New York Times comes this bit of silliness from DSK's  lawyer.

Benjamin Brafman, one of Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers, argued that “there is a very, very defensible case and he should be entitled to bail,” asking that his client be allowed to post $1 million bail. He said his wife would provide the money. She was scheduled to arrive in New York from Paris at 1 p.m., Mr. Brafman said.
He added that his client was not trying to flee when he was arrested on an Air France plane that was about to take off from Kennedy International Airport on Saturday.